Costa good to go

OLIVIER Costa is ready to power his Subaru N11 series in the Zambia International Rally after a useful reccing session yesterday. The Belgium born driver, co-driven by Sylvia Vindegovel is one of 15 drivers set to race in the three-day event which romps off this afternoon with a spectator special stage. After the reccing session, the Rwandan driver said that the route was perfect and that he would give everything over the next three days. “The route is better than all the other routes I have driven on this year and I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he told Times Sport from Zambia. Costa has been sponsored by Bank of Kigali (BK) and Goodrich tyres. Meanwhile, Jamie Whyte heads into the Rally well aware that he will have the African crown in his bag if he wins the event. The Zambia international rally is the penultimate round of the five-legged 2009 ARC series, but one more win for the 49-year-old Zimbabwean will put him out of reach from his closest challenger Emmanuel Katto of Uganda. Whyte leads the Drivers’ Standings with 24 points, nine points clear of Katto and a further eleven of Zambia’s favorite Muna Singh. Should Whyte win, he will also become the third Zimbabwean to win the ARC title after Abe Smit (1994) and Conrad Rautenbach (2007). Zambia’s quest will be led by national champion Mohammed Essa and crowd favorite Muna Singh. The Zambia international rally will cover a total distance of 557.45km with 262.67km spread over 19 competitive sections. The ARC will climax with the Zimbabwe Challenge Rally scheduled to run from August 28-30 in Harare. Ends

Lifestyle

Costa good to go